Inspirational Coogee ovarian cancer survivor Heather Hawkins comes first in North Pole Marathon

AN inspirational 49-year-old Coogee mum has won the 42km North Pole marathon eight years after defeating ovarian cancer and is now aiming for seven continents in seven days.

A COURAGEOUS Sydney ovarian cancer survivor who won the world’s coldest marathon has set her sights on completing a punishing challenge across seven continents in seven days.

Heather Hawkins rounded the final bend on her 42km marathon across a harsh North Pole wasteland in April as the first female competitor taking first place in the women’s category.

Australian flag gripped firmly in her frozen hand, she crossed the finish line 10 minutes clear of the next woman to clock a time of 6 hours, 57 minutes.

It was the culmination of a harrowing eight-year story of sickness, self-discovery and an unshakable will to overcome the odds.

The mother of two said doctors found a 20cm tumour after she presented with general symptoms of abdominal swelling eight years ago.

Coogee ovarian cancer survivor Heather Hawkins was the first woman across the line at the 2015 North Pole Marathon.

An operation removed the tumour and Ms Hawkins underwent a five-year surveillance program of scans and blood tests and is in remission.

Mother to Callum, 20, and Rebekah, 22, Mrs Hawkins took her second chance at life with both hands, completing a series of six marathons, including two ultra-marathons and the Blue Mountain’s gruelling Six Foot Track Race. It followed a trek to Mount Everest’s base camp.

In her recent challenge, Mrs Hawkins had travelled from the warm climes of the southeast coast to the coldest corner on earth, with an average temperature below -30C, with the hope of giving courage to Australian women facing ovarian cancer.

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Mrs Heather Hawkins was the first woman across the line at the 2015 North Pole Marathon.

The 49-year-old, who braved a treacherous looped track, said she was overcome by an “incredible sense of joy and pride” on finishing the gruelling North Pole Marathon.

“Probably about halfway through the race the snow started to come in, visibility became very poor and the wind picked up … that’s when it became an incredible mental challenge,” Mrs Hawkins said.

“You just really needed to focus on doing one lap at a time because in your head you are just trying to find that determination to keep going.

“It was funny, I had my phone in my pocket and I told myself ‘I’ll just listen to music’ but I got two songs into the race and my phone froze — the music was gone.”

Heather Hawkins with her daughter Rebekah. Picture: John Appleyard

Mrs Hawkins is a Coogee Surf Life Saver. Picture: John Appleyard

She said thinking about her family had given her aching legs and frozen body strength.

“I spent lot of time thinking about my family and friends, just being thankful for the opportunity to be up there and giving it a go. That just made it much more personal, to know how much they meant to me and how much they had helped me get to that point,” she said.

Ten women were among a total of 44 runners who travelled from all over the world, through the Norwegian Svalbard Islands on two Russian transport planes to a race camp near the Geographic North Pole for the race.

Of those, four women succumbed to the conditions and couldn’t finish.

Crossing the finish line ... Mrs Hawkins says she hopes her run will give other women facing ovarian cancer courage.

Mrs Hawkins said training on sand at Coogee Beach had given her a distinct advantage over her competitors.

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“It is such a similar experience to running in that type of terrain because your foot sinks down and you find each time you put you foot down it can shift from the back, the front and the side.”

She said she was already preparing for the World Marathon Challenge in January, taking runners to Antarctica , Chile, Miami, Madrid, Morocco, Dubai and finally Sydney to run a marathon in each over seven days.

■Follow James on Twitter @JTJourno